Exodus

Yahweh struck the firstborn in every Egyptian family with death. This was His stated purpose before Moses first went to the Pharaoh (Exodus 4:21-23). Now the Hebrews were paid for their years of forced labor, in silver and gold and clothing – spoiling the Egyptians – and they were thrust out of Egypt with all of their families and herds and belongings. (V.51) “And on that same day Yahweh brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.”

There were about 600,000 adult men (v.37), which would represent an estimated three million people, leaving Egypt.

Having lived in Egypt, they were partakers of Egyptian idolatry. Soon after leaving, they would use their gold to make a calf idol. But later, they would learn to serve God with their wages, and give generously toward building the Tabernacle.

(V.37) Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, from the “Treasure City” to the “Temporary Dwellingplace”. The total population, including women, children, and elderly, was about three million. They were a mixed multitude of all nations.

Some would insist that the Biblical Festivals and Sabbaths are only for the “Jews” (a more accurate term would be the “Hebrews”). The issue seems to be: who qualifies under God’s Covenant? Gentile believers are partakers of the Abrahamic Covenant (Ephesians 3:6). The Apostolic Writings (NT) clearly teach that the Festivals and Sabbaths are for all believers.

Seven Day Feast of Unleavened Breads

For seven days, unleavened breads were required to be eaten. Bread leaven (bakers’ yeast) is a type of fungi (a single-cell microorganism) found on grains. When grains are wet and warm, the yeast consumes sugars to produce alcohol and carbon-dioxide bubbles which cause the dough to rise. Sourdough starter is wet grain flour that has been kept until the leaven has reproduced sufficiently to grow and act quickly when introduced into fresh dough. This was normally used to make leavened bread.

Brewers yeast is another type of fungi seen as a powder on the surface of growing grapes. It will consume sugars in grape juice to produce alcohol (thus wine) and carbon-dioxide which is released lest it burst the containers. This kind of leaven was not being considered in the text; only bread leaven is forbidden for the seven days.

Forty Year Exodus from Egypt

Having lived in Egypt, they were partakers of Egyptian idolatry. Soon after leaving, they would use their gold to make a calf idol. But later, they would learn to serve God with their wages, and give generously toward building the Tabernacle.

(V.37) Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, from the “Treasure City” to the “Temporary Dwellingplace”. The total population, including women, children, and elderly, was about three million. They were a mixed multitude of all nations.

(Revelation 18:4) “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,‘Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues’”. “Babylon” obviously represents a center for idolatrous religion and a great commercial center. It has been often equated with Rome, because that city rules over nations in religious matters, and is famous as a city of seven hills. It has also been equated with a renewed literal Babylon in Iraq, as well as several other places.

What seems clear here, is that we should stay clear of idolatrous religious systems, and not be too tied to this world’s commercial/financial structure. The Psalmist says (Psalm 49:5-6): “Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, even those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the abundance of their riches?” While our (US) money says, “In God we trust”, we are a nation that trusts in money – for sustenance, for health, for pleasure, for security, for pride, etc. Our schools (from grade schools to the biggest universities) were instituted primarily for Bible instruction, ethics, and skills; they are now based on money-making instruction and pleasure instruction, with ethics left out and the Bible teaching being forbidden.

Those who are too poor tend to dishonesty, and those who are too rich tend to forget God and trust in riches. “Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, lest I be full and deny Thee and say, ‘Who is Yahweh?’ Or lest I be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:8-9). I have seen some who come from poor families, then become prosperous, become possessed with staying prosperous. And I have seen some from richer families, who look down on those who aren’t interested in their style of living. It is no crime to be rich, but it is sin to seek to be rich – for riches to be one’s motivation, that which consumes one’s efforts. “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1 Timothy 6:9).

Paul said that he had known both poverty and plenty, and knew how to handle both. “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).

We were not redeemed by the Passover Lamb to stay a slave to Egypt. We still have time to seek God’s way, and to make His service our motivation for life. We can still repent from using our wages of gold to make idols, and use our talents for the furtherance of the Kingdom.

As God said for His people in Moses' time to come out of Egypt, He is now saying of Babylon, "Come out of her My people!" We must leave this world's "Treasure City" for the "Temporary Dwellingplace" where God leads us to our eternal home.

(Isaiah 21:11) "Watchman, how far gone is the night? Watchman, how far gone is the night?"

When Yeshua returns, with His saints He will judge the world.

John 3: ¹⁷ "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

John 12: ⁴⁷ "If anyone hears My sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ⁴⁸ "He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

Acts 10:42 this is the One who has been appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.

Acts 17: ³⁰ God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, ³¹ because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."

Romans 2: ¹⁶ on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 6: ² Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?

Jude 1:¹⁴ It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, ¹⁵ to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."

Addendum

Exodus 12: ⁴⁸ "But if a stranger sojourns with you, and prepares the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it.

Romans 2: ²⁹ But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Ephesians 2: ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household,

 ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

1 Corinthians 5: ⁸ Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Matthew 25: ¹ "Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² "Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. ³ "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, ⁴ but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. ⁵ "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. ⁶ "But at midnight there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' ⁷ "Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ "The foolish said to the prudent, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' ⁹ "But the prudent answered, 'No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' ¹⁰ "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. ¹¹ "Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' ¹² "But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' ¹³ "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.

Mark 13: ³⁵ "Therefore, be on the alert-- for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning-- ³⁶ in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷ "What I say to you I say to all, 'Be on the alert!'"

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Who chose us from among all peoples by giving us Your Torah.

Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the Torah."

(Vayhi bachatzi halaylah vaYahweh hichah chal-b’chor b’eretz Mitzraim /

Now it came about at midnight that Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.)

Reader 1*  Amen. ²⁹ Now it came about at midnight that Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. ³⁰ Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead.

Reader 2*  Amen. ³¹ Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, "Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship Yahweh, as you have said. ³² "Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also." ³³ The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, "We will all be dead."

Reader 3*  Amen. ³⁴ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders. ³⁵ Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; ³⁶ and Yahweh had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

Reader 4*  Amen. ³⁷ Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. ³⁸ A mixed multitude also went up with them, along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. ³⁹ They baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had not become leavened, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

Reader 5*  Amen. ⁴⁰ Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹ And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, to the very day, all the hosts of Yahweh went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴² It is a night to be observed for Yahweh for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for Yahweh, to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations.

Reader 6*  Amen. ⁴³ Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover: no foreigner is to eat of it; ⁴⁴ but every man's slave purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. ⁴⁵ "A sojourner or a hired servant shall not eat of it. ⁴⁶ "It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it. ⁴⁷ "All the congregation of Israel are to celebrate this. ⁴⁸ "But if a stranger sojourns with you, and celebrates the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it.

Reader 7*  Amen. ⁴⁹ "The same law shall apply to the native as to the stranger who sojourns among you." ⁵⁰ Then all the sons of Israel did so; they did just as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹ And on that same day Yahweh brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Who in giving us Yeshua, the Living Torah, has planted everlasting life in our midst.

Blessed are You, Yahweh, giver of the Torah."

______________________

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Who selected good prophets, delighting in their words which were spoken truthfully.

Blessed are You, Yahweh, Who chose the Torah, Your servant Moses, Your people Israel,

and the prophets of truth and righteousness."

Isaiah 21:11

Reader 8*  Amen. The oracle concerning Edom. One keeps calling to me from Seir, "Watchman, how far gone is the night? Watchman, how far gone is the night?"

Psalm 49    (To be sung.)    For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world, ² both low and high, rich and poor together. ³ My mouth will speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will be understanding. ⁴ I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp. ⁵ Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the iniquity of my foes surrounds me, ⁶ even those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches? ⁷ No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him-- ⁸ for the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever-- ⁹ that he should live on eternally, that he should not undergo decay. ¹⁰ For he sees that even wise men die; the stupid and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. ¹¹ Their inner thought is that their houses are forever and their dwelling places to all generations; they have called their lands after their own names. ¹² But man in his pomp will not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. ¹³ This is the way of those who are foolish, and of those after them who approve their words. Selah. ¹⁴ As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd; and the upright shall rule over them in the morning, and their form shall be for Sheol to consume so that they have no habitation. ¹⁵ But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah. ¹⁶ Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased; ¹⁷ for when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not descend after him. ¹⁸ Though while he lives he congratulates himself – and though men praise you when you do well for yourself – ¹⁹ he shall go to the generation of his fathers; they will never see the light. ²⁰ Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish.

Revelation 18:1-24

Reader 9*  Amen. ¹ After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. ² And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. ³ "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality." ⁴ I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues; ⁵ for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. ⁶ "Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. ⁷ "To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.' ⁸ "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.

Reader 10*  Amen. ⁹ "And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, ¹⁰ standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.' ¹¹ "And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more-- ¹² cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, ¹³ and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. ¹⁴ "The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. ¹⁵ "The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, ¹⁶ saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; ¹⁷ for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!' And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, ¹⁸ and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?' ¹⁹ "And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!'

Reader 11*  Amen. ²⁰ "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her." ²¹ Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. ²² "And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; ²³ and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. ²⁴ "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth."

"Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, King of the Universe,

Rock of Ages, righteous throughout all generations.

You are the faithful God, promising and then performing, speaking and then fulfilling,

for all Your words are true and righteous.

Faithful are You, Yahweh our God, and faithful are Your words,

for no word of Yours shall remain unfulfilled;

You are a faithful and merciful God and King.

Blessed are You, Yahweh our God, Who are faithful in fulfilling all Your words."